Hairpin holder



Nov. 17, 1942.

I R. J. HANKOFF HAIRPIN HOLDER Filed 001: 4, 1940 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIRPIN HOLDER Rita J. Hankoff, Forest Hills, N. Y. Application October 4, 1940, Serial No. 359,667 (01. 223-109) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for holdin hairpins to render the same readily accessible for use, while at the same time forming a simple, economical and practical means for packing and distributing articles of this type and kind; and the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described in the form of an elongated supporting or mounting strip in connection with which a multiplicity of hairpins are supported to expose the rounded ends of th pins at opposite sides of the strip for quick and easy grasping and for quick removal from the holder in adapting a device of the kind under consideration for use in hairdressing establishments, beauty parlors and the like; a further object being to provide means for conveniently supporting the mounting member in the hand or in connection with another supporting medium, the means being preferably in the form of a handle member detachable with respect to the pin mounting strip or member so that a plurality of such strips may be quickly and easily attached and detached with respect to the handle member; and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in an article of manufacture of the class described, which is simple in construction, efiicient in use, and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device made according to my invention, indicating a few of the hairpins supported in connection with the device and extending from opposed edges thereof and with part of the construction broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side and sectional View of the device as seen in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is'a partial section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l on an enlarged scale.

While my invention is designed for general use in mounting hairpins for supply in the home, it is particularly designed to satisfy and fulfill a much needed want in hairdressing establishments, beauty parlors, and the like, where women have their hair curled, set or otherwise treated by the use of hairpins. It has been a common practice for the customer to assist the hairdresser or operator in holding and handing hairpins to the operator to save as much time as possible in performing the necessary operation. This practice has been slow and causes inconvenience to the customer, and furthermore has been unsanitary from the standpoint of re-use of the pins. It is one purpose of my invention to provide a device in which a single mounting strip or member is provided in conjunction with which is supported a sufficient number of pins to care for any particular setting of the hair; arranging the pins in a manner on the card to be freely accessible at each side of the card and individually removable in a quick and efficient manner. A further purpose is to provide a handle or other support whereby the card may be disposed at either the right or left side of the customer to be readily accessible to the operator in working upon both sides of the head. The long ends of the hairpin holder are free to pass over the shoulders of the customer, thus placing the pins in a readily accessible position with respect to the hands of the operator. With this construction, it is proposed that each strip or card, with which the handle is readily attachable and detachable, will be arranged in a Cellophane or other wrapper or envelope from which it is removed by the customer or the hairdresser so that each customer will realize that an individual card having a reasonable degree of sanitary protection is employed. In view of the material time saved and the economical cost of the mounted pins, the unused pins of the card may be disposed of as well as the used hairpins when removed from the hair, without any increased cost to the proprietor of the beauty establishment. At the same time, a more satisfied customer will be retained.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one adaptation of the'invention, in which I have shown at 10 a card, strip -or mounting, composed of what is commonly referred to as corrugated board; that is to say, the strip comprises two tending spring arms l8,

plain elongated paper or light cardboard strips I l and. I2 which are spaced apart and united by an intermediate corrugated strip l3 having the corrugations extending longitudinally of the strips II and I2 and spaced transversely thereof as will appear in Fig. 3 of the drawing. For the purpose of description, the strip l I will be termed the outer strip and the strip l2 the inner strip. The inner strip is provided adjacent the end portions thereof with any suitable means for detachably engaging a supporting or mounting device -I 4; the means in the construction shown comprising strips I5 having on inner surfaces pockets I6 for the reception of reduced terminal ends H on laterally exl8a of the mounting member l4. These arms cross each other centrally of the device M as seen at l9, note Fig. 2,

and are united in a spring loop 20 which forms the handle portion of the mounting member. It will thus be seen that by spreading the side portions 28a, 20b of the handle, the terminal ends I! will be drawn inwardly to disengage the pockets I'S, whereas supporting the handle 28 in the hand will maintain firm engagement of the pin supporting card [0 With the mounting M.

It will of course be apparent that the strip H may be composed of any desired texture or quality and may have its outer surface printed or lithographed in any desired manner to render the same attractive in appearance or to contain advertising matter which would be of interest to the use or to the customer. In this way, the complete device may have a dual use, for example, in utilizing devices of this type and kind in the eauty parlors of department stores, the special sale values may be noted periodically on the holders to bring to the customers attention merchandise which is on sale or specially featured at the prevailing period.

In utilizing a strip such as the strip l0, it is also preferred to employ in the intervening corrugated sheet 13 a material which may be readily punctured or pierced by hair pins 2| when forced through the open side edges of the strip l6. The end portions 22 of the pins will extend through two or more of the corrugations in the sheet l3,

thus firmly and rigidly supporting the pins to maintain the rounded protruding ends 23 thereof against shifting in any direction with respect to the strip or card 40; while at the same time maintaining the desired spaced relation of the rounded ends 23 one with respect to the other so that the to grasp two pins at one time if this should be desirable.

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, only a few of the pins are illustrated at each side of the card I ll for the purpose of simplifying the illustration It will be understood, however, that when the card is originally used and removed from a transparent or other protective container, maintaining sanitary conditions thereof, each side edge of the strip will be completely filled with the hairpins. Each strip may contain anywhere from fifty to one hundred or more pins, depending upon the requirements in a particular operation of setting the hair. It may be desirable to supply holders of this type and kind in three or more quantity sizes, which would simply mean varying the length of the strip.

From a productive standpoint, it will be apparent that long ribbon-like members of the strips or cards it! may be initiallly employed and the pins automatically pierced through the side edges thereof as the ribbon is fed through a suitable i machine. Thereafter, the ribbon may be cut into the desired strip lengths. In this connection, it will be apparent that many methods of mounting the pins in connection with elongated strip-like I supports of the kind under consideration may be provided. In this respect, the use of corrugated strips as shown is not absolutely essential. It is desirable. however, to provide, for the uses herein more specifically dealt with, a supporting strip which will retain the hairpins in a firm and nonshifting arrangement upon the supporting strip, while at the same time maintaining definite spaced relationship of the pins with respect to each other,

sanitary appearance to the entire unit.

The shanks or ends 22 of the hairpins have curved or kinked portions therein which serve to maintain the pins against accidental displacement from the supporting card while at the same time providing free withdrawal of the pins from the card. It is also desirable in this connection to utilize in the corrugated sheet 13, a material which while being readily pierced, is of a more or less fuzzy texture so as to maintain suificient frictional engagement with the shanks of the hairpins to further aid in preventing accidental displacement of the pins.

As the device is constructed, the mounting M has its arms I8, I 8a slightly curved so as to maintain a large radius curvature in the strip H! which otherwise would be straight. This is desirable first to place the strip l9 under a slight tension when engaging the stripping arms or the terminal ends ll thereof, while at the same time allowing the free ends of the card to be passed over the shoulder of the customer in fitting the card to a position closely adjacent the head, thereby eliminating unnecessary lost motion on the part of the operator in selecting the pins for placement in the hair. It will also appear that the card ma be arranged over each shoulder of the customer to dispose the pins accessibly at each side of the head.

In the construction of hairpins, it has been customary to apply a black lacquer, enamel or other coating to the pins. However, with my improved holder, and at least in the commercial uses thereof, it is intended to utilize pins having a white or light color coating to be consistent with the otherwise sanitary qualities and properties of the entire device, while at the same time, these light pins will show up more readily in the hair and materially expedite the removal thereof after the hair has been set. From this standpoint, it will also be desirable that the entire card, aside from printing or lithographed matter applied thereto, will be composed of white or a light colored material, whereas the mounting M may be of another colored material or chromium or otherwise plated to give a neat, finished and In some instances, various types of plastic materials may be used in constructing the mounting l4. Such materials as cellulose acetate have the desirable spring properties which will maintain the terminal ends as at I? in constant tensional engagement with the pin supporting card l0. In this connection. it will be apparent that the normal spring of the extending arms l8, l8a would extend the terminal ends I! slightly beyond the pocket portions It in order to accomplish this result. It will be understood that one mounting member may be utilized in conjunction with any number of the cards. In other words, a suificient number of the mounting members will be provided to the beauty parlors to satisfy the requirements of the establishment, and the pin holding cards may be supplied from time to time to satisfy the consumption demand; it being understood that each card is disposed of after the pins have been used on each customer.

Aside from the commercial use of the invention, it will also appear that the particular type of mounting 14 may be dispensed with and the cards used simply as articles of manufacture for the sale of hairpins, providing in the home a means for maintaining hairpins for accessible use. In this connection, means may be provided for supporting the card in any accessible position. From this standpoint, the surfaces of the sheets II and I2 may be characterized in any desired manner to give advertising or other value to the complete article. By reason of the economical construction of the complete device, a device of this type and kind lends itself to a give-away advertising medium which will have its appeal to women in the home. As a matter of fact, it would find its usefulness in ladies dressing rooms in various public buildings, as will be apparent.

It will of course be apparent that while the device as herein shown and described has been illustrated for use in supporting what are commonly referred to as hairpins, the device may be used for supporting any type and kind of pin like, pointed, or pronged articles wherein it is desirable to maintain one end of such articles exposed at one edge of a mounting for quick removal. The strip, card, or mounting may be of any desired contour particularly in the more elaborate or specialized uses of the invention, in the home use or in the commercial advertising use, particularly in give-away articles.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An article of manufacture of the class described comprising an elongated member having spaced plane strips united by an intermediate corrugated strip with the corrugations of the strip extending longitudinally of said member and spaced traversely between side edges thereof, a plurality of pin devices having one end portion passed through at least two of the corrugations of the last named strip with the other end portion of the devices protruding beyond at least one side edge of said member at spaced intervals rendering the same accessible for removal from said member at said edge, a mounting for said member comprising a handle portion having laterally extending spring arms, and means on said member and arms retaining the member against accidental displacement therefrom.

2. In a pin mounting and dispensing device of the character described employing an elongated pin supporting card, a mounting member comprising a handle portion having laterally extending spring arms, said arms having terminal ends for engaging the pin supporting card at longitudinally spaced intervals in firmly supporting the card in extended position on said member.

3. An article of manufacture of the class described comprising an elongated support ng strip, a plurality of hairpins arranged longitudinally of opposed edges of the strip in side by side spaced relationship, closed end portions only of the pins projecting beyond each side of said strip, means engaging the other end portions of said pins retaining individual pins in said spaced relation to each other and against accidental displacement from the strip while permitting forcible removal of the pins individually from each side of said strip, a mounting member on one surface of the strip for supporting the strip in extended position, and said mounting member comprising a handle portion having laterally extending spring arms engaging said surface of the strip at longitudinally spaced intervals.

RITA J. l-IANKOFF. 

